Gabourey Sidibe Opens Us About Secret Weight Loss Surgery

Gabourey Sidibe is focusing on her health—but it's not easy.

According to People magazine, who received an exclusive excerpt of Sidibe's new memoir, This Is Just My Face: Try Not to Stare, the Precious star revealed that she underwent laparoscopic bariatric surgery in May 2016 after she and her brother, Ahmed, were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Sidibe, who had been struggling to lose weight for more than 10 years, saw the surgery as a life-changing opportunity.

"My surgeon said they'd cut my stomach in half. This would limit my hunger and capacity to eat. My brain chemistry would change and I'd want to eat healthier. I'll take it!" Sidibe, 36, said, adding, "My lifelong relationship with food had to change."

Sidibe, who's been showcasing her new look on Instagram, has struggled with her appearance since she was just six years old. After her parents broke up, she faced depression, anxiety, and bulimia. However, with the help of therapy, she's been able to conquer her past issues but it took time.

Similarly, losing weight, the actress admitted, won't be as easy as just having the surgery. She's been working with a nutritionist and a trainer to get her body into top shape.

"It has taken me years to realize that what I was born with is all beautiful," she wrote in her memoir. "I did not get this surgery to be beautiful. I did it so I can walk around comfortably in heels. I want to do a cartwheel. I want not to be in pain every time I walk up a flight of stairs."

Of course, she hasn't always been the confident actress that we know today. In an interview with Harper's Bazaar in 2010, she admitted that she thought her size got in the way of people seeing her beauty—which is why she enjoys photo shoots so much.

"I feel like a model. It justifies everyone in my life who told me I wouldn't be anything until I lost weight. It justifies that little girl who cried because she didn't think she could be in front of the camera," Sidibe, who did model for Lane Bryant, explained. "And it's for other girls who feel like they can't do this or that and feel like they're not pretty and not worthy of having their photo taken."

This Is Just My Face: Try Not to Stare is scheduled to hit shelves on May 1, 2017.